1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a method of nourishing a mother sow or a pregnant sow, to a method for reducing diarrhea in piglets, to a method of decreasing piglet mortality at birth and to a feed composition for a mother sow or a pregnant sow. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a method of nourishing a mother sow or a pregnant sow and a feed composition, which decrease piglet mortality at birth, reduce the occurrence of diarrhea in piglets during the breast-feeding period, reduce piglet mortality during the breast-feeding period, and increase the body weight of piglets.
2. Discussion of the Background
Alvine flux (diarrhea) in piglets during the breast-feeding period is a severe problem for hog breeders. Piglet mortality resulting from diarrhea during the period from birth to about 4 weeks (corresponding to the period of breast-feeding) is significant. Even if the piglets do not die from such diarrhea, it is known that such diarrhea has a deleterious influence on the growth of piglets, especially on body weight increase, and that this effect continues long beyond the breast-feeding period. These phenomena result in large losses and damages to hog breeders and are a serious problem in pig farming.
Previously, administration of a feed composition to piglets to prevent and cure diarrhea during the breast-feeding period had been disclosed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-173826). This composition is efficiently mass-produced and handled with ease. Moreover, it displays an excellent preventative and curative effect upon diarrhea, presumably as a result of immunoactivation of the piglet's immune system. However, this composition is administered to piglets and, therefore, has no effect upon the significant number of stillbirths observed with piglets.
A number of approaches to lower the number of stillborn pigs are known. Feeding a pregnant sow either garlic powder or licorice powder, materials known as physiologically active substances, results in an increase in the birth number of a litter of piglets (Journal of Japan Pig Farming Association, Vol. 28, No. 3, p. 225, 1991). Here, however, the birth number obtained with mother sows fed with these materials is 11.3 heads on average, while that of the control group is 10.4 heads on average. Thus, the increase in birth number is less than one head per litter.
Additionally, it has been reported that feeding the live microbial agent Toyocerin (registered trade name, Toyo Jozo Co.) to mother sows results in reduced mortality of piglets during the breast-feeding period. Here the number of a litter of shoats per mother sow fed with the agent is higher than that in the control group (Data for Public Relations of Toyocerin, Edition for Overseas Information, published by Toyo Jozo Co.). Here, however, the percentage increase in the number of a litter of the shoats is only 3 to 6%.
Thus, there remains a need for a method of nourishing a mother sow or a pregnant sow which decreases piglet mortality at birth, reduces the occurrence of diarrhea in piglets during the breast-feeding period, reduces the piglet mortality during the breast-feeding period, and increases the body weight of piglets.